Lighter



Dec. l, 1931. A s, sEGAL 1,834,007'

lli/171171111171171 v 1N NTOR u, MMV

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 1, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE SAMUEL SEGAL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,`ASSIGNOR T SEGAL AUTOMATIC TWEEZER COB'- PORATION, OF rNEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF NEU?l YORK LIGHTER Application mea :rune 21,

This invention relates to a functionally and lstructurally improved lighter of that type commonly carried in the pocket and used as a smoking accessory.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device of this character the parts ot' which will be simple and few in number, individually rugged in construction and capable of being assembled at a comparatively nominal' figure to furnish a lighter giving service over l long periods of time with freedom from mechanical diiculty lt is' a further object of the invention to provide a device of this type which may be carried in the pocket with freedom from danger of accidental lighting, although when in actual use its operation will be semi-auto matic.

A still further object is that of providing a device of this type which preferably will be so constructed that a user may replenish the fuel supply with a minimum of difficulty and virtually no soiling of the fingers.

Another object is that of constructing a lighter in which the wick may be readily renewed and will be of such a length that the periods of renewal Vwill be extremely infrequent, aside from the fact that the wick will have to be fed only infrequently.

With these and further objects in mind, the invention accordingly comprises the features of. construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exempliied in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the application of' which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the. nature and objects of the inventioneference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: y

Figure l is a side elevation ofone `form of lighter embodying the improved construction of the present invention;

Fi s. 2 and 3 are plan views thereof showing different operative positions of the parts;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are enlarged sectional views taken along the lines 4 4, 5-5 and 6-6 respectively of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 shows schematically the normal,

1927'. serial No. 200,343.

opening and closing positions of the latched parts, at a, b and c, respectively;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a different form of spark-producing mechanism;

Fig. 9 shows a wick structure and mounting which may be embodied in the lighter; an

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fi 5, but showing a slightly different form o construction.

With reference to Figs. l to 7 inclusive, the numeral 10 indicates the shell or casing of the lighter, which may be of any desired material and suitably ornamented, this' member mounting upon its upper edge the spark-producing mechanism and the wiclisnufling and sealing elements, each hereinaftery more fully. Y i

described.

ln this form, of device it is preferred that the gasolene, alcohol or other fuel-containing reservoir be provided in the form of a readily-removable' magazine or reservoir member. vTo this end, the casing 10 has an open base, and a magazine member comprising a receptacle 11 of a size to tit snugly Within the interior of the casing 10 may be inserted from the lower end of the casing to fill the interiorof the same; it being noted that the receptacle 11 may have outstanding flange-portions 12 at its base which lie adjacent and eX- tend beyond the lower edges of the casing 10 in order that a neat inish may be presented, it being understood that the inward movement ofthe receptacle within the casing may be limited by engagement of the upper edge of the former with the inner surface of the upper edge of the latter. At this time it will be observed that this upper edge or surface of the casing is formed with an opening through which the wick nozzle or spout 13 of the receptacle 11 may extend to a point well above the upper casing' edgenand into the plane of the spark produced by the igniting apparatus. Through this opening and spout, a wick 13 is preferably extended. Thus a magazine member is provided which may be sold independently of the lighter proper and which, when empty, may be discarded; it being obvious that the cost of the magazine member is comparatively negligible and that it will be unnecessary for the user to soil his VEl() fingers when refining the magazineunless he desires to do so, in which event access to the interior of the magazine may be had bymeans of a removable closer member 14 provided for this purpose. This closure member is located in the base of a recess or pocket member 15 bulged inw" y from the side wall of the magazine bo and, with a view to locking the magazine within the casing of the lighter and against any possibility of accidental detachment therefrom, it will be observed that the latter may present a screw-thregded opening in line w1th the pocket member 15, which opening receives a screw-threaded stem 16 having a knurled outer head 17 vfor its convenient rotation. At'this time it will also be observed that the stem is hollow and that access to' its interior may be had by means of a removable cap 1 provided at the outer portion thereof. .As a conse uence, a receptacle is provided which may, 1f desired, conveniently receive and retain a flint or other suitable spark-producing lug 19, which may be retained in reserve. bv1'ouslythis stemis retracted or wholly removed when the magazine member is inserted within the receptacle, and upon the former being extended within the latter, it is projected to the position shown so that no movement of theparts may occur.

Referring to the spark-producing mechau nism illustrated to best advantage 1n Fig. 4,

it will be observed that the upper edge or face of the casing 10 carries a tubu1ar membore and the member 28 furtherspark-producingelements, the space thus provided serving as a magazine. Y

Mounted immediately to one side of the tube 20 and likewise upon the outer surface of the receptacle 10 is the wicksnuffer and -sealer above referred to; this mechanism preferably embracing a hollow standard.31

secured to the receptacle, and to the upper l edge of which standard a block 32 is pivotally secured. This block is extended in the form of arod 33 and terminates in a cap 34 which may have its lower edge beveled as at to correspond to the adjacent surface of the wick spout or nozzle13 it being understood that the rod 33 .is of su cient length that the. cap will seat upon the upper edg'e of this element when thev arts are 1n their normal position. Positione within the bore of the standard 31 is a spring-pressed pin 36, the upper end of which bears a ainst the block 32, and, as a consequence o the eccentric mountin of the latter it will be apparent that this -e ement, together with the rod and cap secured thereto,

. tends to swing upwardly.

mally retain the capI depresse ber 20, the bore 'of which extends parallel to the plane of such surface and above the same. The4 rear'end of the' bore-thereof may be screw-threaded as at 21 and `in the embodiment illustrated mounts a conveniently tubular and exteriorly screw-threaded set screw 22-and the forward end of the bore s lidably mounts a tube 23 having a bore substantially equal to thev bore of the set screw 22. The outer end of the tube 23 is slotted, and in the upper Aface thereof 4an opening is provided w 1ch-serves as a-bearing for the upper end of, a transversely-extending shaft 24, the

lower end of which -has its movements confined by contact with the `outer edge of a lon gitudinally-extending groove 25 in the upper faceof the casing 10. 'lghis shaft mounts a sparkroducing wheel 26 and a driving disk finger. of the operatorv the latter is engaged correspondingly move the wheel 26.

Bearing againstpthe inner end of the set screw, bore :is a mounting member 28, which carries the inner end ofa spring 29, the outer it willbe observed that there lmay be interposed between the inner ends of the set screw tlie disk ing obvious that 'if by means of theand moved, the shaft 24 will be rotated toy ablej .sparkproducing material. At this time AWith a View to normally preventin such `upward swinging,A althoughreleasab y retaining ence being had particularly to Fi 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7-that a air of latch-mem rs 37 are' secured one tot e rod 33 and the other to the tube 23, these latch-members engaging to nor- Following `the action of this structure it will be apparent that the tube 23 has longitudinal movement relative to the xed tube 20, and one of the latch-members being carried by the former tube, an inward pressure upon the driving disk 27, as. dia rammatically indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, will cause the tube 23 to move inwardly. Thus, the latch parts will be shifted from the position shown in` ful lines in Fig. 7a, and in dotted lines in Fig'. b, to points at which their edges clear, and, as a consequence, the latch parts 37 carried by the rody 33 is free to move with'the latter'u wardly, as has been shown in full lines 1n Fig. 7b; thus automatically uncovering the portion of the wick which extends beyond the spout or nozzle l3. If now, by means of 27 the shaft 24 is rotated, a spark will \be produced to ite the ex osed wick' endf When itis desired to snu theV wick, and to prevent an evaporation of the fuel whichl moves by capillary attraction to the upper end of the wick-it will be apparent that by simply swinging the rod 33 downwardly an operator, will achieve this result, inthat the parts' will'be brought again to the posithe parts, it will be observedrefer- I each other, this sprin will cause these latch -parts to reassume t e position shown Yin Fig. 7a, thus preventing further movement until the operator again engages the driving disk 27.

In certain instances it has been found desirable to modify the igniting or spark-producing mechanism' of Fig. 4 in the manner shown in Fig. 8, in which a tube 38 corresponds to the tube has its outer end counterbored to receive a spiral spring 39, and a tube` of a diameter such that it may slidably it within the counterbored portion of the tube 38 is provided with a reduced end portion 41, the outer end of which extends 'beyond the inner end of the tube38 and there mounts a nut 42, the outer surface of which may be knurled; it being noted that the spring 39 acts topress the tube 40 outwardly. The inner end of the tube 40. is also screwthreaded to receive a set-screw 43 against which the inner end of a spring 44 bears, this spring engaging in its outer end a plug 45 formed of Hint or other spark-producing substance. Similarly to the tube 30, the tube 40 has its outer end slotted and has itsside Walls Vformed with aligned openings; it being noted, however, that the lower opening, in the present instance, is of materially larger diameter than the upper opening. A shaft 46 formed with a reduced upper end 47 and a squared intermediate portion 48 has its upper end bearing within the reduced transverse opening of the tube 40, its body having bearing 1n the lower or aligned larger opening formed in the side -Wall of the tube 40. At a point below this openinga shaft 46 mounts a driving wheel 49, so that, consequently, the shaft 46 may be turned; it being apparent that, similarly to the `shaft 24, this shaft has bearing within a recess or groove 25 formed in the upper surface of the recep- By means of this structure it will be appar' between the spark-producing disk 50 mounted on the squared portion 48 of the shaft and 54 to ermit the resultant sections to flare outward with respect to each other. By this expedient a new wick member may bereadily inserted through the wick nozzle, in that although the interior of the mechanism may be filled with a mass of fibrous'material, for example, cotton, this material will be kept suiciently clear of the channel provided by the tube 53; it being obvious, however, that by virtue of the spaces extant between the segments of the tube the fuel'may Contact readily with the side walls of the wick to move upwardly therefrom to the exposed portion thereof. Furthermore, incident to the preferably angular disposition of the inner end of the tube 53, a wick length maybe accommodated which will provide a reserve adequate for the needs of the lighter over a long period of time. f

Finally, referring to Fig. 10, it will be apparent that-the same structure described in connection with the preceding figures is followed, with the exception that in lieuof a removable magazine member, the casing 10 has a closed base 55 to provide a receptacle form'ed by the outer casing of the lighter.

Thus,y by means of the present lighter an operator'is provided with a compact semiautomatic device, in that` simply by exerting normal contact between the thumb or linger of the driving wheel ofthe shafts 24 or 46, the latch mechanism is operated to alltomatically expose the upper end of the wick. and a subsequent revolving of these shafts will cause a fiame to be produced. Likewise, simplyl by swinging the wick-snufiing cap downwardly, the parts are automatically latched to be retained in their proper position.

Thus, a'mong others, the objects of this invention have been accomplished, and since certain changes maybe made in the, above construction, and different embodiments of the invention could be made, without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mat-ter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the followthe plug 45 of spark-producing material will ing claims are intended to cover all of the not be increased, and, consequently, no increased resistance will be offered to such turning.

.With reference to Fig. 9, it will be noted that the wick may comprise an asbestos body 51 molded around a central wire reinforcement 52. A wick of this nature, particularly when used in this connection, is to be desired incident to its long life; it being obvious that an ope'rator may readilyv exert a pull on the Iupper end of the wick to expose fresh portions thereof and may remove the charred portions of the wick, as desired. This wick preferably is mounted within a tube 53 which has its lower end curved and its body slity as at generic and specific features of the invention4 shift said last-named means from openingcovering position, spark-producing means also connected with sald receptacle vand 1ncluding a tube, a plug of sparking material -producing means where mounted therein, a spark-producing disk mounted for engigement with said plug, a

linger contact w eel for rotating said disk, latch mechanism associated with said opening-covering member and a portion of said spark-producing means, and means for yieldably mountingsuch .portion of the sparky u on said wheel being engaged and shifted said latch mechaent of such irst named spring and cooper- .ating with said plug and' disk. to normally prevent a bodily movement o f such elements. 3. A Alighter including a casing formed with a wickopening, a cap for snuing a flame emanating from the wick within said opening, -a tube slidabl mounted upon said casing, a plug of p rop oric material within said tu a spar ing disk disposed adjacent the outer end of the tube, said tube and associated parts being shifted upon actuation of sai disk being attempted and said cap movin away-from snungposition. l

4. A lig vvter including a` case, a tube, a springpwithin said.' tube, a plu 'of pyrophoric, material also within sai tube and engaged by said spring, a sparking disk MP,engaged by said plu `means for Slidably mounting said tu upon said case, a cap mounted 1b said case, la latch vmechanism associate with'said cap and said tube `for normally maintaining the former in wick-snuiling position and means tending to move said cap. from such position.

5. A lighter including a case, a tube, a

spring within 'said tube, a plug of p rophoric by said spring, a sparkin disk engaged by said plug, means for slida ly'mounting said tube u n saidcase, a 'spring forming a part of sai mountingmeans andnormally urging said tube lto assumeone position, a cap mounted by said case, a latch mechanism associated with said cap and said tube for normally maintaining the former in -wick-.snuffing positionand meansl tending to move said cap from Isuch position.

material also Within `said tube n engaged 6. A lighter including a case, a tube slid ablyl mounted upon said case. a plug of pyrophoric material within said tube, a spar ing disk carried by said tube and in engagement with said plug, -a snuen cap mounted by said case and arranged adjacent said disk,

moans'for normally urgingaaid snulfer cap to raised position, a latch mechanism comprising a pair of cooperating el ments, one connected with said tube, the 351er of said elements being connected -to sai cap to normally retain the `same in snuiing position and .said latch elements moving out of cooperating position whenfsaid tube is slid iliicdent to the actuation of said sparking 7. A lighter-including a case, a tube slidably mounted upon said case, a plug of pyrophoric material Within said tube, a sparking 'disk carried by said tube and in engagement with said-plug, a snuier cap mounted by said case and arranged adjacent said disk', means for normally urging said snuer cap to raised position, a lat-ch mechanism comprising a pair of cooperating elements, one connected with said tube, the other of said elements being connected to said cap to -normally retainthe same in snuiiing position' and said latch element-s moving out of cooperating position when said tube is slid incident to the actuation of said sparking disk,

a shaft associated with said tube and mounting said disk and a thumb wheel secured to said shaft. j

8. A lighter including a case formed with a wick opening, a tube mounted for slidable movement upon said case, a' plug of pyro.

phoric material movable with and ldisposed within said tube, a sparking disk and a shaft extending adjacent the end of said plug and mounting said disk, said shaft having bearing in said tube.

9. A lighter including a case'fon'ned with I a wick opening, a tube mounted for slidable movement upon said case, a plug of pyro- -phoric material movable with and disposed within said tube, a sparking disk and a shaft extending adjacent the end of said plug and mounting said disk, said shaft extending beto saidshaft below such tube.

10. A lighter including a case formed with a wick opening, a tube mounted for slidable movement upon said case, a plug of pyrophoric material within said tu disk and a shaft extending adjacentthe en of said plug and mounting Isaid disk, said case being vformed with a recess and the lower end of said shaft riding within said recess.

11. A lighter including a case formed with a wick opening, a snutfer cap, a lever mounting said cap to have the latter normally cover said wick opening, a barrel extending vabove said case and substantially parallel thereto, a plug of pyrophoric material disposed within said barrel, means for shiftably mounting said barrel upon said case, means for normally maintaining said barrel in one position, a spark producing means connected to said barrel'and cooperating with said plug,

means normally'urging said lever to a position at which saidsnuier cap will uncover yond said tube and a thumb wheel Isecuredido e, a sparking said opening, and means associated with said vice and operative whereby opera-tion of said barreland cooperating with said lever and finger wheel for ignitin'g said wick autocap to prevent said movement whereby said m-atically effects the movement of said snufer cap normally covers said opening, and upon device from a closed to an open position to said spark-producing means being actuated, condition the wick fori said barrel is shifted to release said retaining means and permit a movement of said cap from such position.y

12. A lighter including a case formed with a Wick opening, a barrel slidably mounted on said case, a spring for normally urging said barrel to one extreme position, spark-producing means including a rotatable member associated with said barrel and t`o belengaged by the linger of an operator to direct a spray of sparks from said plug and to shift-said barrel against the action of said spring, a snui'fer cap cooperating with said wick open- -ing to normally cover the same, means urging said cap from such position, and a latch mechanism connected with said barrel and cap whereby upon said barrel being shifted, said cap will move from itsA normal 'position.

13. A lighter including a case formed with an opening, a cap mounted on said case and to snuff the fl me emanating from a wick extending through said opening, a tube mounted on said case, a plug of p rophoric material within said tube, a spar ing disk having an irregular opening, said barrel being formed with an upper reduced openin and lower enlarged opening aligned with said first named opening, a shaft bearing in said last named opening and includipg a reduced end portion bearin named opening, such shaft ing irre lar in cross-section between said oints of earing and mounting said spar ing disk, and the lower end of said shaft extended toward said case.

14. A cigar lighter comprising, in combination, a fuel receptacle having a holder'for a wick, a snutfer device for s aid wick mount- 'ed on said receptacle for movement in a' vertical plane between open and closed ositions, igniting apparatus for said wic including an, operating finger wheel rotatable in a horizontal plane; and means interconnecting the finger wheel with said snut'er device and operative whereby operation of said finger wheel automatically effects the movement of saidsnuder device from a closed to an open-posit1on. A

l5. A cigar lighter comprising, in combination, a fuel receptacle having a top Wall providedawith a holder fora wick, a snuier device for said wick swingingly mounted on said receptacle top wall for movement in` a vertical plane between opeand closed positions, igniting apparatus for saidwick also mounted onf said top wall.and including an operating finger-,wheel rotatable -in a horizontal plane; and means interconnect ing thenger wheel with saidsnuer dein said first ition. In testlmony whereo I affix my signature.

SAMUEL SEGAL. 

